Vignette

Do you subscribe to the Hawthorne Threads newsletter?   I do.  They include beautiful photographs of new fabric collections that make me feel

almost

like I'm getting to see the pretties in person.  Sometimes a photo collage sticks with me and I find myself thinking of the fabrics again and again, weeks later.  Then I begin to plot how I could get my sticky hands on it!  And that's exactly what happened with Vignette by Laura Gunn.

photo collage from

Hawthorne Threads

I couldn't get these happy, vibrant colors and flowers out of my head, so last week I contacted

Michael Miller

to request a selection of my favorites.  They sent some yardage with the promise that I'd make and share a Vignette quilt.

getting started with Vignette by Laura Gunn

Don't mind if I do!

getting started with Vignette by Laura Gunn

These fabrics are a garden in full bloom.  The colors are radiantly saturated, with a full spectrum of flowery shades.  But I have to admit that the fabrics threw me off a bit when they arrived.  In the past I have avoided Laura Gunn fabrics because they have such a strong painterly quality.  I'm drawn to them in isolation but find I don't feel comfortable mixing them with the rest of my stash.  I think they would mix well with batiks and solids, but not so much with the prints I tend to collect. 

I had originally planned to make a modern improv style quilt with these fabrics, but in person that idea didn't fit.  After brainstorming with my Patchwork Pinterest board,

this pin

inspired a Kansas Dugout-style quilt constructed without any y-seams. 

getting started with Vignette by Laura Gunn

Here we are so far.  The

Kona Aqua

background was inspired by my favorite photo in the original Vignette fabrics photo collage.  I'm trying to capture what I love about those photos in my quilt.  I see cream, aqua and clusters of color.  Hopefully, I'm on the right track...